Author Rex Ogle (Free Lunch; Road Home) delivers a YA novel-in-verse as dynamic and affecting as his award-winning nonfiction in When We Ride, a portrayal of life on the margins told through the experiences of best friends traveling rapidly diverging paths.
Diego Miguel "Benny" Benevides is ranked 12th in his senior class and lives with his single mom in a neighborhood that "used to be nice/ like thirty years ago." Benny's mom works two jobs and vacillates between being a caring mother and struggling with her sobriety; it is her influence that has made Benny "the way I am/ always trying to be/ in control." Lawson Pierce has been Benny's best friend since third grade, when Lawson punched a bully making fun of Benny for not having a dad. Like Benny, Lawson is an only child with a single mom; unlike Benny, Lawson's mom is neglectful. So, Lawson turns to dealing drugs to support himself and his mother--but Benny is the one with a car. At first, Benny doesn't mind chauffeuring Lawson around town to conduct his "business" and he appreciates the extra money Lawson gives him "for [his] time." After a terrifying encounter with the police, though, Benny must decide if his future can afford Lawson's friendship.
When We Ride is written in spare, emotive verse that features realistic dialogue and approachable poetic forms. Ogle develops characters and relationships that are so sincere, their growths and losses will likely be both celebrated and mourned by readers. Fans of Jason Reynolds's Long Way Down or Elizabeth Acevedo's The Poet X will likely savor this moving novel. --Shannan L. Hicks, freelance reviewer